Adjustable shower caddy

ABSTRACT

A shower caddy is made up of a hanger section which is mounted within a shower stall to extend downwardly and has parallel transversely spaced legs which are telescopically engaged with corresponding legs on an extension member with adjustable stops such that the extension member can be selectively moved up and/or down to be placed at desired elevations.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is directed toward shower caddies which extend downwardalong or parallel to a wall of a shower stall and which contain shelvesor hooks or similar members for holding accessories normally used in ashower stall. More particularly, the invention is aimed at providing avertically adjustable shower caddy whereby the shelves or hooks or thelike can be selectively placed at different heights or elevations toaccommodate the height of the user of the shower and/or provide suitabledistance between shelves on the shower caddy to accommodate differentsized containers or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,351 by Zadro illustrates a shower caddy which issupported by the shower head pipe and hangs down therefrom and hasshelves and other items which are attached to the descending legs orstanchions by tubular members which are welded to the back of theshelves with appropriate thumb screws used for selectively sliding theshelves on the descending legs to appropriate or selected locations.This design appears to be somewhat awkward and can result in the shelvesbeing skewed or slanted.

U.S. publication 2005/0072748 dated Apr. 7, 2005 by Shai alsoillustrates a pair of transversely spaced legs or stanchions with a setof shelves coupled thereto by rubber O-rings to stop the shelves fromsliding down the vertically oriented legs. No mention is made nor isthere any suggestion about selectively adjusting the location or heightof the shelves but even if, speculatively, they can be, it isquestionable how reliable it would be considering the amount of waterand soap, shampoo, etc. that would be used frequently in the shower.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The shower caddy of the present invention comprises two members, ahanger member which has an upper end and two transversely spaced rigidparallel downward extending legs and an extension member having a pairof transversely spaced rigid legs with at least one shelf attachedbetween its legs with the hanger and extension member legs slidablyengaged or telescoped with one another so that the extension member canbe selectively adjusted vertically to different heights. Means areprovided to releasably latch the extension member with respect to thehanger member to suitably position the shelf on the extension member toaccommodate the height of the person using the shower and to accommodatethe height of containers which are commonly found in a shower stall onthe shelf such as containers for shampoo, liquid soap, etc. In one formthe hanger and extension legs are generally U-shaped channels slidablyengaged with one another and in another form the telescopically engagedlegs are cylindrical or tubular.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an embodiment of the invention as it wouldnormally appear in use;

FIG. 2 is a break-apart back or rear perspective view illustrating thetelescopic arrangement of the two sections of an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a latching mechanism for use in anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 illustrating in part an embodiment whereinthe telescoped legs are tubular;

FIG. 5 is an alternate embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates the hanger section of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5;and

FIG. 7 illustrates the extension section of the embodiment shown in FIG.5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring initially to FIGS. 1-4, a shower caddy 10 comprises an upperor hanger member 11 having a pair of transversely spaced vertical rigidlegs 11A and 11B joined together at one end which, in use, is referredto as the upper end, by a rigid arch 12, preferably an arcuately-shapedarch. One way in which the caddy is mounted so that it will hang downalong a wall of the shower stall is by virtue of a cutout or recess 13on arch 12 for engaging and resting on a pipe, not shown, for ashowerhead, not shown. Typically hanger member 11 may have a shelf 16attached between parallel transversely spaced legs 11A and 11B on whichshower paraphernalia, such as soap, shampoo, lotion, etc. (not shown)rests for use by the person using the shower. Typically, with nolimitation thereto intended, shelf 16 is fixedly attached to legs 11Aand 11B. The manner in which the shelf 16 is attached to hanger 11 isnot considered to be an essential element of the instant invention butafter it is attached, it is considered to be a permanent attachment, notadjustable with respect to legs 1 1A and 1 1B.

Coupled to hanger member 11 at its open or lower end is an extensionmember generally designated by reference numeral 18. Extension member 18comprises a pair of transversely spaced parallel rigid legs 18A and 18Bwith at least one shelf 19 fixedly held between legs 18A and 18B. Forillustrative purposes, no limitation intended, the embodimentsillustrated in the drawings show the hanger element as having a pair ofshelves 19. Typically at the lower end a set of hooks 20 may be attachedto extension member 18.

As seen most clearly in the break-apart views in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3,hanger member 11 and extension member 18 are designed so that therespective legs 11A and 11B and 18A and 18B are telescopically orslidably engaged with one another. This permits extension member 18 tobe adjustable with respect to hanger member 11 to place the shelves 19or any other element contained on the extension member at differentelevations or heights. This is especially handy when the shower is beingused. In this fashion the shower caddy can be adjusted to accommodatethe height of the user and/or to accommodate the size of any containeror other article for use in the shower. In FIGS. 2 and 3 legs 18A and18B and 11A and 11B are shown as channels which are U-shaped in crosssection for slidable engagement with one another. FIG. 4 illustrates thecorresponding legs 1 1A, 1 1B and 18A and 18B as tubular or cylindricalconstruction for slidable telescopic engagement.

A mechanism for locking the hanger and extension members at variouslocations is illustrated in greater detail in FIGS. 3 and 4. A series ofdetent openings 21 may be formed on the outwardly facing wall of leg 18Aon extension member 18 and an outwardly biased resilient stop member 22is integrally formed with leg 11A on hanger 11. Conventionally, as thetwo sets of legs are engaged and slidably moved with respect to oneanother when stop member 22 reaches one of the detent openings 21 itsprings outward to engage the opening 21 to stop the further slidingmovement between the two sections and to hold them secured at thatposition or location. To release the locking mechanism stop member 22 isdepressed far enough to allow the edge of the opening 21 to slide overstop member 22 so that extension member 18 can then be slidably moved toanother location or height.

Preferably the caddy members are made out of a suitable molded orextruded plastic although they may be made out of a suitable, preferablylightweight, metal such as aluminum or stainless steel.

The adjustable caddy illustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 is very similar tothe caddy illustrated in FIGS. 14 so the same reference numerals areused in FIGS. 5-7. The caddy 10 which is illustrated in FIGS. 14 has thelegs 1 1A and 11B of hanger member 11 telescoped within thecorresponding legs 18A and 18B of extension member 18, i.e., legs 1 1Aand 11B are the inner legs and legs 18A and 18B are the outer legs. Thecaddy 10 illustrated in FIGS. 5-7 has the respective legs reversed,i.e., extension legs 18A and 18B are telescoped within legs 11A and 11Bso that the latter are the outer legs and the former are the inner legsin the telescopic arrangement. Correspondingly, stop member 22 islocated on a leg of the extension member 18 and the corresponding detentopenings 21 are located on a leg of hanger member 11.

1. An adjustable shower caddy comprising: a) a hanger member comprisinga pair of rigid laterally-spaced elongated parallel legs joined togetherat one end by an arch; b) means on said arch for engaging and resting ona shower head pipe, said legs thereby extending downward from said arch;c) an extension member comprising a pair of rigid laterally-spacedelongated parallel legs with a shelf attached between said legs; d) saidextension member legs telescopically engaged with said hanger memberlegs for selectively moving said extension member vertically; and e) alatch mechanism releasably locking said extension member to said hangermember at different elevated locations.
 2. An adjustable shower caddy asdescribed in claim 1 wherein said hanger member legs and said extensionmember legs are tubular.
 3. An adjustable shower caddy as described inclaim 1 wherein said hanger member legs and said extension member legsare U-shaped channels in cross-section.
 4. An adjustable shower caddy asdescribed in claim 1 wherein said latch mechanism comprises a series ofdetent openings longitudinally spaced on a leg and a stop member in thetelescopically engaged other leg biased to engage said detent openings,said stop member selectively manually adjustable for disengaging thestop member from the detent opening.
 5. An adjustable shower caddy asdescribed in claim 1 wherein said hanger member and said extensionmember are made out of a suitable plastic.
 6. An adjustable shower caddycomprising: a) a hanger member having a pair of rigid laterally-spacedelongated parallel legs joined together at one end said hanger memberadaptable for mounting in a shower stall to hang downward from said oneend; b) an extension member comprising a pair of rigid laterally-spacedelongated parallel legs with a shelf attached between said legs; c) saidextension member legs telescopically engaged with said hanger memberlegs for selectively moving said extension member vertically; and d) alatch mechanism releasably locking said extension member to said hangermember at different elevated locations.
 7. An adjustable shower caddy asdescribed in claim 6 wherein said hanger member legs and said extensionmember legs are tubular.
 8. An adjustable shower caddy as described inclaim 6 wherein said hanger member legs and said extension member legsare U-shaped channels in cross-section.
 9. An adjustable shower caddy asdescribed in claim 6 wherein said latch mechanism comprises a series ofdetent openings longitudinally spaced on a leg and a stop member in thetelescopically engaged other leg biased to engage said detent openings,said stop member selectively manually adjustable for disengaging thestop member from the detent opening.
 10. An adjustable shower caddy asdescribed in claim 6 wherein the extension member legs aretelescopically engaged within the hanger member legs.
 11. An adjustableshower caddy as described in claim 6 wherein the hanger member legs aretelescopically engaged within the extension member legs.